a project by Leila Thompson

Everyone knows about the amazingly diverse and beautiful Amazon
rainforest, the "lungs of the planet", located in South America.

Here in Miami is a minature Amazon of unique plant and
animal life called the Pine Rocklands but it's disappearing. Fast.

amazon_deforestationmanpsouthamericathe amazon amazon_deforestationmanpfloridathe pinerocklands

THE PINE ROCKLANDS OF MIAMI


Located in Miami, Florida, the Pine Rocklands are a hotspot for plant biodiversity due to its location at the covergence of the northern temperate and southern tropical zones.

The Pine Rocklands have an extremely high level of endemism meaning many of the plants and animals found within it can't be found anywhere else in the world.

some of the pine rockland endemic plants

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY


With the loss of our forest systems comes the rapid loss of biodiversity.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of endangered species , plants are by far the most threatened, with more listings per category than any other type of organism including birds and mammals.

map of five united states forests elm ash cottonwood long leaf slash pine pine rocklands redwood pinyon-juniper
United States Forest cover
amazon_deforestationmanp brazilboliviaparaguayguyanafrenchguianasurinamevenezuelacolombiauruguayperuecuadorlimario de janerosao paulopanamaargentinachilenatural forestdeforestation


The United States is home to many different forests which are often named after the main trees that can be found within each of them.


Across the United States, native forests like the Pine Rocklands have been decreasing as populations rise and urban areas like Miami continue to expand.


Since 1988, one quarter of the Amazon rainforest has been erased due to logging and agriculture with deforestation rates increasing every year.


While the Amazon plays a major role in regulating our planet's health, it is lesser known forest systems like the Pine Rocklands, which have seen a decrease of over 90% since the 1970's, that are often left forgotten until they disappear forever.

Florida’s high amount of native plants include species that come in all shapes, sizes and colors including over 90 native orchids and the host plants for many rare butterflies.

    regions_index_page 10 250 25 60 120 190 number of species plant species per world region europe3 plants oceania12 plants Australasia20 plants central america184 plants south america116 plants africa29 plants asia54 plants caribbean242 plants north america260 plants

    The plants of the pine rocklands have ancestors from all regions of the world.
    In this phylogeny the regions used to classify the plants were North America, the Caribbean , Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Australiasia.

Magnoliids are a clade of woody or herbaceous flowering plants (angiosperms) that consist of 4 separate orders with almost 10,000 total species found all over the world. There are two species of magnoliids that can be found within the Pine Rocklands, one of which is native to the United States, Cassytha filiformis, and a second which has origins within the United States and the Caribbean, Persea palustris.

MAGNOLIAS

Persea palustris

REGIONS Magnolia plant origin

Persea palustris, common name “Swamp Bay”, is an evergreen tree that can be found throughout the southeastern United States, from Texas and Florida all the way up to Maryland and Delaware.
It has an aroma similar to the bay tree, Laurus nobilis, and can be used similarly, and its leaves are eaten by the Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly

Also known as the buttercup family, the Ranunculuses are mostly herbaceous, flowering plants that are usually yellow in color like Argemone mexicana which is found within the Pine Rocklands, but sometimes have other colors like pink or purple which can be seen in Clematis baldwinii , a native plant to the United States also found within the Pine rocklands.

ranunculuses

Clematis Baldwinii

regions_index_page ranunculuses PLANT ORIGIN regions europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Clematis baldwinii , common name “Pine Hyacinth” is a plant found only in the piney areas of Florida and responds well to disturbances like fires which naturally frequent the Pine Rocklands. The Seminole tribe of Florida used an infusion of this plant to help treat sunstroke.

ranunculuses

Argemone mexicana

regions_index_page ranunculuses PLANT ORIGIN regions europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Argemone mexicana , common name “Prickly Poppy” is a species of poppy that originated in Mexico and Central America and has since spread to many regions of the world including the Pine Rocklands. Argemone comes from the Greek word argena which means 'cataract of the eye' and was given to this poppy plant because the juice from some spiny poppies was once thought to be a cure for cataract in the first century AD (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992).

The Rubiaceae, or madder family is made up of over 13,000 plants species found mostly in tropical areas.
The family is mostly well known for the genera coffea which produces the coffee bean, but the plants of Rubiaceae found within the Pine Rocklands come from 16 of the other rubiaceae generas and also includes one of the 11 endemic Pine Rocklands species Stenaria nigricans .

rubiaceae

Stenaria nigricans

regions_index_page RUBIACEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Stenaria nigricans, whose common name is the “diamond flower”, is one of the endemic Pine Rockland plants and can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

rubiaceae

Catesbaea parviflora

regions_index_page rubiaceae PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Catesbaea parviflora , common name the “dune lilythorn” due to its spines or sharp edges and can be found throughout the subtropical regions of SOuth Florida and the Bahamas.

rubiaceae

Morinda royoc

regions_index_page RUBIACEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Morinda royoc, also called the “cheese plant” or “Indian mulberry” is an evergreen plant known for its tiny fruits and can be found in central and south Florida as well as the caribbean.

rubiaceae

Psychotria nervosa

regions_index_page RUBIACEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Psychotria nervosa, common name “wild coffee”, is native to Florida and is recognizable by its bright red fruits that resemble that of the coffee bean.

rubiaceae

Psychotria ligustrifolia

regions_index_page RUBIACEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Psychotria ligustrifolia, common name “Bahama wild coffee”, is an evergreen with white flowers found in the sandy, rocky soil that is characteristic of its range in the caribbean and south Florida.

rubiaceae

psychotria sulzneri

regions_index_page RUBIACEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Psychotria sulzneri, common name “short leaf wild coffee”, is found from central to south florida as well as Central America and the Caribbean.

The Rubiaceae, or madder family is made up of over 13,000 plants species found mostly in tropical areas.
The family is mostly well known for the genera coffea which produces the coffee bean, but the plants of Rubiaceae found within the Pine Rocklands come from 16 of the other rubiaceae generas and also includes one of the 11 endemic Pine Rocklands species Stenaria nigricans .

ORCHIDS

Bletia Purpurea

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Bletia purpurea , common name “Pine Pink”, is native to the Pine Rocklands and swamps of South Florida and is considered threatened in the state of Florida.

ORCHIDS

Encyclia Tampensis

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Encyclia tampensis, common name “South Florida Butterfly Orchid” is native to, you guessed it, South Florida where it thrives in many of the native trees in a number of native ecosystems like the Pine Rocklands.

ORCHIDS

Eulophia Graminea

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Eulophia graminea, common name “Chinese Crown Orchid “, is one of the few orchids that is not native to South Florida and was introduced to the area in the early 2000’s and is often found in mulch.

ORCHIDS

Habenaria Quinqueseta

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Habenaria quinqueseta, is most commonly found in South Florida and occasionally throughout South America and the Caribbean and is primarily pollinated by moths.

ORCHIDS

Cyrtopodium Punctatum

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Cyrtopodium punctatum , common name “Bee Swarm Orchid”, is native to Florida and areas of South America and the Caribbean and thrives in hammock and swampy habitats similar to the Pine Rocklands.

ORCHIDS

Ponthieva Racemosa

regions_index_page ORCHIDEAE PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Psychotria sulzneri, common name “short leaf wild coffee”, is found from central to south florida as well as Central America and the Caribbean.

The Apocynaceae , or dogbane family is made up of over 4,000 species of plants and contains what is popularly known as the milkweeds which are illustrated below.
There are seven species of milkweeds found within the pine rocklands, six of which can’t be found anywhere else outside of the United States

MILKWEED

Asclepias Curassavica

regions_index_page MILKWEED PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Asclepias curassavica, common name “Tropical milkweed” or “Bloodflower”, is loved by the monarch butterfly and is also resistant to deer and rabbits

MILKWEED

Asclepias Viridis

regions_index_page MILKWEED PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Asclepias viridis , common name “green” or “spider” milkweed, can be found throughout the United States and can tolerate disturbances like the fires of the Pine Rocklands

MILKWEED

Asclepias Lanceolata

regions_index_page MILKWEED PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Asclepias lanceolata, common name the “Few flower milkweed”, is known for its flashy bright red and orange colors and can be found blooming in the summer months from New Jersey to Florida.

MILKWEED

Asclepias Verticillata

regions_index_page MILKWEED PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Asclepias verticillata, common name “Whorled milkweed”,blooms from June through September throughout central and eastern North America.

MILKWEED

Asclepias Tuberosa

regions_index_page MILKWEED PLANT ORIGIN REGIONS europe oceania Australasia central america south america africa asia caribbean north america

Asclepias tuberosa , common name the “Butterfly weed, unlike other milkweed species, this one does not have the characteristic milkweed sap in its stem which gives the family its most popular common name. Butterfly weed may also be referred to as pleurisy due to a prior medicinal use of its tubors to treat lung inflammations.

methodology

The above phylogeny and plant index was created after the research done by Lauren trotta of the University of Florida and the first and only phylogeny of the over 500 plant species found in the Pine Rocklands of Miami,Fl. Using various sources, data was collected and compiled into excel and then through the data visualization tool flourish. Once the appropriate graphs and maps were created, they were then edited and stylized in adobe illustrator.
Illustrations were done using reference images from the internet and adobe illustrator. Due to the immense number of plants found within the Pine Rocklands, key groups were chosen for illustration that might be the most interesting and appealing to most viewers (not sure everyone wants to see 26 illustrations of the different grasses found in the Pine Rocklands). Scrollytelling was used through the scrollama library available on GitHub and finally information on each plant featured was researched individually through various botanical databases and websites.